Boosting Bedworth Town Centre
Regular readers will know that I am passionate about improving Bedworth Town Centre. It is no secret that Bedworth has been the badly neglected cousin to Nuneaton for many years – decades even. It is also no secret that I have been critical of the council for failing to be bold and imaginative in seeking to regenerate Bedworth Town Centre. We have ten councilors representing Bedworth on Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council but, with the exception of a small handful who do work hard, too many of them are simply invisible.
The Town Centre is full of empty shops, mostly owned by the council. These empty shops then drag the town down and help to create a spiral of decline. I have been very critical of the fact that many of these council owned shops are sitting empty because the rents being asked are simply too high and no effort appears to be being made to market them imaginatively. Why on earth doesn’t the council encourage new shops and businesses by giving a temporary discount on the rent for any shop that has been empty for a certain period of time? Some rent is better than none, new businesses would create employment and generate business rates, and ultimately the town centre would start to feel busier and successful once again. And the council’s inflation busting 25% hike in parking charges has been a disaster – not only did it lead to a predictable collapse in income from parking charges as everybody fled to do their shopping elsewhere, it is a tax on the town centre. Neighbouring towns with free or cheap parking are laughing and thanking us.
It is against this backdrop that we should view the new Tesco development which opened this week. I know the project has its critics. Many of those living close to the building work have had their lives badly disrupted, and there are fears that a new, bigger Tesco could compete with existing shops and cause them to lose trade. I understand those fears. But I strongly believe that we will not improve Bedworth Town Centre by being afraid of new development. Tesco are demonstrating confidence in our town by investing £27 million in the new supermarket. This investment will create 150 new jobs and safeguard 180 or so existing jobs. Ultimately, anything that makes Bedworth a place where people want to come to do their shopping will be a benefit to all the shops in the town. That’s why I have supported the new store, and was delighted to be asked to cut to ribbon and open it on Monday.
I want to see Tesco become part of the Bedworth retail community, working in partnership with myself, other businesses, the town centre manager and the local authorities for the good of the town. That’s why I was also delighted when, as a gesture of goodwill to mark the opening of the new store, Tesco offered to make a donation of £1,000 towards local projects to benefit the town. I was pleased to be asked to decided how best to spend this gift. I chose two recipients, both of which will ultimately benefit everybody who uses the town centre.
Firstly, part of the donation will go towards the local Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative here in Bedworth. This is a partnership of local businesses and organisations, working with the police, aimed at reducing crime and antisocial behaviour in the town. It is a practical project with a proven track record – cutting shoplifting and fraud by around 23% in the first few years of operation. By helping with this project, Tesco are helping all shops and businesses and ultimately are helping to create a safer environment for the people who use our town centre
Secondly, the remainder of the donation will go towards buying kit for the ‘Junior Greenbacks’ – the youth players at Bedworth United Football Club. This is an obviously worthwhile cause in itself, but some people might be wondering at the connection to the town centre. In many ways, antisocial behaviour by young people often isn’t deliberate. It is a clash of cultures and ages – when young people who are bored with nothing to do ‘hang out’ in a group, they don’t mean to be intimidating to the pensioners might be afraid to walk past that group. But often they can be. If we want to deal with antisocial behaviour and make sure that everyone feels safe in the town centre, we need to ensure that our young people have things to do. Sports clubs have a role to play in that. Bedworth United Football club has a fantastic record of providing football training to the young people of Bedworth, and I’m delighted that this donation will help them to buy the kit they need.
So this week is a good week for Bedworth. The opening of the new £27 million Tesco store is a good news story that will boost the town and provide much needed jobs. We now need to build on the momentum this can give us and develop a long term plan to regenerate Bedworth Town Centre. The next step is to cut parking charges and get those empty shops filled. The question is, are the council listening?
Thank you for visiting! Here you can find out about the work I'm doing in the communities in North Warwickshire and Bedworth. What matters to you, matters to me, so read what I've be up to and find out how you can help. Email me at mail@danielbyles.com or call me on 020 7219 7179.Dan Byles MP
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